Noisy shatters the club of the uninjured morlock, as Bash and Fredrik finish off the injured one.
The final morlock looks to be on its way to flee...
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Chasik
Basalte
Noisy
Therwil
Nokazi
Fredrik
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Morlock
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Nokazi turns the last Morlock into a hedgehog.
The demon wears a king’s ransom in jewelry, including four mithral armbands on each arm, a thumb- thick silver torc, a beaten gold Sarkorian funerary necklace ncised with pastoral scenes of villagers harvesting wheat, and a ponderously large platinum earring. In one of the nearby structures, a bag of rubies can be found.
The Hellknights soon locate several chained archaeologist, and Paralictor Ambusta announces bluntly I will take these men and escort them to the surface. Our debt is paid and there is nothing more to discuss. I'll grant you two days to explore these ruins, after that your presence will be subject to the full force of the law.
The friendly morlocks scatter as well, with only Bigipfen and the Golem Master remaining. The first is scrounging the grounds for treasure, while the second seems to only linger to keep an eye on the group...
A pristine fortress, its entrance connected to the plaza by a series of travertine stairs, squats atop a partially buried beast the size of a whale. The fort’s gilded doors are splayed open, leading into a single, torch-lit chamber. Carved onto the fortress’s interior are miniature elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and myriad other four-legged monstrosities.
The beast is actually an animated construct
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"Pleasant fellow." Noisy says with a hearty chortle, as the Paralictor takes his leave with the rest of the archaeologists. "I'd love to sea the report he files. We'll probably be a footnote. Ha!"
He seems to find the thought amusing.
As they go to examine the fortress, he stops suddenly, frowning in thought.
"Uh... hold on a moment." He says suddenly. "I don't think that's just decoration."
He points at the stone beast upon which the building sits.
Karn is busying herself with studying and mapping out the structures on the plaza. Noisy and Therwil see the true nature of the 'decoration' under the fortress. Searching for traps or wards, Therwil doesn't find any.
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"Look at it." Noisy replies, impressed despite himself, though a little concerned as well. "Of course its more."
"The thing's probably been buried here as long as this whole city has been buried. Thousands of years."
"Here's hoping it stays dormant." He adds. "Something that size could destroy a whole city." He looks around nervously.
"Much less the ants that are currently moving about in it."
There's a beast, half-buried in the plaza. On it's back is a fortress ()
It takes a brave man to enter this fortress. From the entrance, Nokazi can oversee the plaza, and he notices several places where the stonework is cracked. He connects the dots, and figures out this is where the behemoth stepped - cracking the stonework under his weigh. The trail leads 15 feet west of its current position.
Inside - as Basalte's reconnaissance confirmed - the single room in the fortress only has one more exit, on the opposite side. Currently, that exit leads to a blind wall.
In the west wall, Nokazi finds a hidden control panel of sorts...
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Noisy takes it all in with a look of wonder.
"I dunno about the rest of you, but I think I'd rather be inside the building if that thing wakes up, then standing on its front porch."
"Sure hope this isn't the golem the VC wants us to bring back, I don't think it'd fit out the shaft."
He tries to laugh, but it sounds a little strained. He is clearly not sure about this.
As the tengu reports what he saw, the dwarf gets thoughtful, taking a moment to examine the area himself as well.
"Umm... Its only a guess..." He starts, hesitantly, "But it might be that, back when the behemoth was operational, it was fifteen feet to the left," He points west, towards the head of the construct. "And then, that door there," He indicates the inner door that opens to a blank wall "Might then line up with another opening?"
"It would put the front entrance in the middle of the platform outside." He adds. "Which would make much more sense, from an architectural standpoint then where it now."
He shrugs, clearly unsure. "Maybe?"
"Basalte, could you use those gloves of yours to look through the wall about 6 paces the left of there?"
He'll do his best to determine where the door might end up if the golem moved the fifteen feet along the impressions Nokazi noticed.
After some more thought, and a quick trip back outside to examine the impressions again.
"Actually, what if the creature didn't lay down?"
"Maybe the opening is fifteen feet that way, and then some ways up." He concludes, looking towards the ceiling.
He will also take a moment to examine the panel.
Nokazi examines the control panel. It looks to be a panel that controls the movements of the creature. A simple touch of the button makes the golem lurch, but the panel is old and convoluted.
Still, with a few tricks Nokazi manages to override it, and make the golem act to his command. That is, up to an extent: he manages to figure out 'forward', and 'up'. The creature stands up and lumbers forward 15 feet, unveiling an opening on the other side of the fortress, deeper into the strange undercity...
An ornate set of stairs opens into a grand throne room with ten stone statues as courtiers. At the far end of the room, a gilded sarcophagus lies before an elevated platform that bears a silver chair and numerous tall bookshelves. Overhead, several glowing orbs wash the tomb in shadowy illumination. Flanking the sarcophagus are two jet obelisks that threaten to pierce this chamber’s orb-filled ceiling.
A skeletal woman sits on the throne in the far end of the room. She stand up in a regal fashion and says Greetings, those who have breached the seal. Come up here and let us talk, for I am indebted to you and I must uphold the Jistkan code of honour. Come up here, and claim your reward - what might I give you to show my gratitude?
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"Severina Helsprix, I'm guessing?" Noisy calls out, unsure if it could be the cities ruler after two and a half millenia.
"You have been trapped here for quite some time. We are explorers, and scholars, and adventurers. Here looking for those." He points towards the golems.
"We did not expect to be talking to you, certainly."
He does not immediately start to move just yet.
This woman is a lich.
Noisy's gets a good idea both who and what the woman is. The statues surrounding her are all golems.
Severina Helsprix, indeed. I was once ruler of Rachikan. The feeling is entirely mutual, I had not expected you today. After all, it has been quite some time without visitors. If it is my golems you are after, I will gladly part with them in return for my freedom. She holds up a white staff-like object This baton, she says, crafted out of ivory, allows you to control these constructs. She holds it in both hands, then stretched out her arms as if to offer it. This is how a queen negotiates. Take this baton as a token of my gratitude.
She seems uncertain of her abilities, and genuinely interested in bargaining for her freedom. It even seems that she might be willing to offer much more than just this rod and her golems.
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Therwil steps into the room to explore her offer.
"So freedom is what you seek. Tell us, where would you go? What would you do? This seems like an easy enough trade. We get some ancient constructs and you free yourself from a precarious position. Surely you realize that there are those who would not ever bargain for your freedom, given what you represent, I mean."
What do you do with yours? Severina answers to Nokazi's question. I have been trapped here for 2500 years. First steps to be taken are not to be taken lightly.
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Tengus are a relatively peaceful race. The same can not be said for those who become a lich. I know not of your history and why you were imprisoned here 2,500 years ago. Care to shed more light on the matter and the Jistkan code of honour that you follow? Serving such a long prison term would normally satisfy your debt to society. Do you feel you have been rehabilitated?
Nokazi replies hoping his companions come to a consensus before the lich becomes impatient.
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Noisy will motion to Basalte to go with him, and move forward towards Severina.
"As you've no doubt surmised, much is different from when you entered here." He says, watching her carefully. "The Jistkan Empire fell, long ago. You are a Queen of nothing anymore."
He bows slightly, "I'm the Marquis de Noisy." He says, by way of introduction. "A minor noble of Taldor."
"I accept your offer. Though my companions might hedge themselves a bit, due to your current state. We have no quarrel if you do not."
"But might I suggest more?" He adds, hopefully.
"Two and a half millenia is long enough that much knowledge of that time has faded to dust. Historians and scholars dig and scratch for every last bit of information they can find."
He laughs slightly. "To be able to talk to one who has lived there..." He acknowledges the queen with a nod.
"And you too, have missed much. Our organization is one of learning and collecting of history. Much of which I'm sure you too are eager to learn. There could be a great deal of benefit to either side, if you would be willing to work with some of us."
"Like these golems! Truly wondrous creations, but nothing compared to the one upon which the palace outside sits!"
He eyes the golems in the room with them, then adds. "How did you get them in here, anyway?"
You are wise not to let prejudice rule you, the lich answers. My empire is no more, that I see, marquis de Noisy, but its great deeds are preserved through me. I hand you control of my golems. They were interred here with me, in this unbreakable tomb, and sealed in just like I was.
The golems, clearly, do not fit through the door. That is going to require some manual effort to get them out.
There are two obelisks in the room, that may be used to activate some kind of portal. It requires some magical item to activate it - perhaps one of the allies outside knows more.
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Therwil studies the obelisks as she speaks.
"If they are to be ours, let me consult with our group outside as how best to remove them. They won't do us much good gathering dust in here. You will excuse me, your highness."
With that, he will slip outside and discuss what he knows with our new friends outside.
I will consider your request, the former ruler says to Noisy, but the meeting will have to be on my terms - little do I have the need to expose myself to those who may be prejudiced. I assume you understand.
We gathers up some items and spellbooks, and pulls out a scroll. Are we agreed?
Outside of the tomb, Therwil finds the golem master still rummaging around the underground city. Bogipfen is also there to translate Golem masters has crystal the morlock says it help. It make obelisk work. Transport golems out. You can buy crystal for gold. Bogipfen explains Golem master want 1000 gold.
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"The world changes, but people don't always change with it." Noisy agrees with a nod.
He gives her some contact information, should she decide to take him up on the offer.
At which point Noisy is content to see Severina go on her way.
"A crystal you say? For coins? After all we've been through, Boggy, really? Destroying the demon that enslaved your people should be payment enough!"
Master says crystal is valuable. Master says it took him long search to find crystal. You searches! You find you own! Many crystals in ruins, it rumoured.
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"Well then, how about he lets us have his, and he can search for another. They are quite common, after all."
"That should put us even." Noisy replies, indicating the dead demons laying about.
"And we'll even let him know what he can use it for." He adds, in a conspiratorial whisper. "Quite important, he won't be able to find out any other way."
Noisy's veiled suggestions are completely lost on the golem master, who simply refuses to give up the crystal he holds without payment.